Wilhelm Böckmann
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Wilhelm Böckmann (29 January 1832 – 22 October 1902) was a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
architect who worked briefly as a
foreign advisor Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United S ...
to the government of
Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
.


Early career

Böckmann was born in
Elberfeld Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the Germany, German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929. History The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "''elverfelde''" was ...
, near
Wuppertal Wuppertal (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany, with a population of 355,000. Wuppertal is the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and List of cities in Germany by population, 17th-largest in Germany. It ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
where his father was a teacher of mathematics. He initially entered the Gymnasium to follow in his father’s footsteps, but dropped out after two years to complete an
apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulat ...
as a carpenter. In 1854, he entered the
Bauakademie The Bauakademie (Building Academy, also known as the ''Schinkelsche Bauakademie'') in Berlin, Germany, was a higher education institution for the art of building to train master builders. Founded on 18 March 1799 by King Frederick William II ...
, in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, an architectural school housed in what is considered one of the forerunners of
modern architecture Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...
due to its theretofore uncommon use of red brick and a relatively streamlined façade. His studies were interrupted for a year by military service, and by another year spent travelling abroad with his friend Hermann Ende. In 1859, he passed his First State Examination with high marks. He established the architectural firm, “Böckmann and Ende” in 1860. In 1864 Böckmann was invited to speak before the Paris Institute of Architects. In 1868, he founded a technical journal, the ''
Deutsche Bauzeitung ''Deutsche Bauzeitung'' (stylized as ''db deutsche bauzeitung'') is the oldest technical architecture publication periodical in Germany. The magazine was established in 1867. Its headquarters is in Leinfelden-Echterdingen. The publisher is Konr ...
''. He became chairman of the Architects and Engineers Association in Berlin from 1869. Most of the buildings he designed were in the neighborhood of Berlin, especially villas in district of Tiergarten, with many found within the diplomatic quarter. He was also active in the residential areas of Potsdam Neubabelsberg and designed various buildings for the
Berlin Zoo The Berlin Zoological Garden (, ) is the oldest surviving and best-known zoo in Germany. Opened in 1844, it covers and is located in Berlin's Tiergarten. With about 1,380 different species and over 20,200 animals, the zoo presents one of the ...
. Few of these buildings have survived
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.


Career in Japan

Böckmann was invited to Japan by the
Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji ...
in 1887 to develop a plan to rebuild
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
into a modern national capital. He spent two months investigating the terrain and put together a draft plan with an outline for a new Ministry of Justice building. His plan was a magnificent
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
city comparable to
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or Berlin, but he left Japan with the Japanese authorities gasping at the tremendous budget which would be required. His visit was followed in 1887 by his partner, Hermann Ende, who brought designs for other governmental buildings, including the Ministry of Justice and a new Diet building. However, the project was soon derailed by
Inoue Kaoru Marquess Inoue Kaoru (井上 馨, January 16, 1836 – September 1, 1915) was a Japanese politician and a prominent member of the Meiji oligarchy during the Meiji period of the Empire of Japan. As one of the senior statesmen ('' Genrō'') in ...
for budgetary reasons, as well as a growing cultural backlash in Japan against mimicking Western architecture. Ende was sent home and plans for a branch office of Böckmann and Ende in Tokyo came to an end. The Japanese government, however, did keep his designs for the new Ministry of Justice building, which was completed in 1895, albeit by another company. Back in Germany, Böckmann continued his architectural design work. He became Berlin Zoo Association Director in 1893 and President from 1897. Böckmann was made an Honorary Member of Institute of Architects in 1902, and died later the same year in Berlin.


Noted works

* 1864–1865: Old Synagogue (Elberfeld), (rebuilt in 1938: destroyed) * 1867: Bank HF Lehmann in
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (), is the second largest city of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is the sixth-most populous city in the area of former East Germany after (East) Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Magdeburg as well as t ...
* 1871–1874: Prussian Soil Bank in Berlin * 1872–1874: Deutsche Union-Bank in Berlin * 1873: several buildings in the
Berlin Zoological Garden The Berlin Zoological Garden (, ) is the oldest surviving and best-known zoo in Germany. Opened in 1844, it covers and is located in Berlin's Tiergarten (park), Tiergarten. With about 1,380 different species and over 20,200 animals, the zoo pre ...
(e.g., Elephant House, antelopes, big cat house) * 1875: "Oak Castle" for Baron Saint Paul in the Hirschberger Valley (
Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
) * 1875–1876: Architects Association of Berlin (1934; demolished) * 1876–1877: Café Bauer in Berlin * 1881–1885: Museum of Ethnology in Berlin * 1882–1883: Helms Café in Berlin * 1883: House of the Estates of West Prussia (Landeshaus), Danzig * 1883: Sedan panorama at
Berlin Alexanderplatz station Berlin Alexanderplatz is a German railway station in the Mitte district of Berlin's city centre. It is one of the busiest transport hubs in the Berlin area. The station takes its name from its location on Alexanderplatz, near the Fernsehturm and ...
* 1884–1886: Residential house Voßstraße 33 in Berlin (Böckmann lived in this building. Later, after a conversion and extension in the 1930s - opposite Hitler had the former Reich Chancellery built - the Palais served the Deutsche Reichsbahn as an administrative building until 1989.) * 1885: "Schiess'sches House" in
Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
* 1885–1887: Great Synagogue in Danzig * 1895: Justice Department in Tokyo, Japan


References

*Checkland, Olive. ''Japan and Britain after 1859: Creating Cultural Bridges''. Routledge (2002). *Conant, Ellen P. Reassessing the Rokumeikan. University of Hawaii (2006).


External links


Photos of Ministry of Justice, Tokyo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boeckmann, Wilheim 19th-century German architects Architects from Wuppertal 1832 births 1902 deaths Foreign advisors to the government in Meiji-era Japan German academic journal editors